The present invention relates to slip-resistant bindings and, more particularly, to a slip-resistant binding for use with shoes, boots, skates and the like.
It is well known that conventional shoe laces and bindings have an annoying tendency to loosen or come untied. Besides being annoying, such loosening can become dangerous when the person wearing the footwear is engaged in a vigorous activity, such as running, ice skating, or mountain climbing. In addition, small children and the handicapped can have great difficulty in retying a lace once it has come undone.
Ordinary laces readily loosen and come undone because they are formed of relatively smooth woven yarn materials. While the smooth surface of conventional laces allows the wearer to quickly lace and tie his or her shoelaces, the smooth surfaces of the lace provide little gripping power at the points where the lace crosses itself. Thus, only the inherent friction of the lace surface and the snugness of the knot formed by the wearer will determine the period of time which the knot will remain tied.
Various approaches have been taken to solve the problem of providing a secure, slip-resistant shoelace or binding. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,071,964, 3,110,945, 3,639,481 2,306,515 and 2,141,801 disclose knots, beads, or raised areas provided along a shoelace at regular intervals. The purpose of these devices is to limit the extent to which the adjoining lace portions can slip with respect to each other. However, it is inherent in these designs that some slipping can occur. In addition, shoelaces of this type are expensive to produce.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,922,455, 3,522,637, 3,059,518 and German Pat. No. 557,418 disclose the use of a high friction surface or coating to achieve desirable slip-resistant properties. However, these laces require either a special coating step or the lace itself must be formed from a special type of yarn.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a slip-resistant binding, particularly for use with footwear.
It is an additional object to provide a slip-resistant binding which is readily adjustable.
It is a further object to provide a slip-resistant binding which is relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.